Vader Comic Might Explain Luke's Vow of Silence in 'Last Jedi'

Luke Skywalker’s total disconnection from everyone and everything he loved might have a new retroactive explanation. Fans know something happened before The Force Awakens that sent the beloved Jedi into hiding, but now his vow of silence might have an offical canonical name: the “Barash Vow.”

On Wednesday, a very telling scene in the latest issue of Marvel’s ongoing Darth Vader comic series made reference to an ancient Jedi text called the Barash Vow. In his quest to locate a living Jedi and rip off their lightsaber, Vader decides to find Jedi who have taken “the Barash Vow prior to the purge.” What is the Barash Vow? Vader describes it to his evil droid sidekick thusly: “Any Jedi pursing Barash has sworn to refrain from activities related to the order. Complete disengagement from anything but the Force. It is a type of penance.”

While it’s not clear yet who Vader will find has taken this vow, the particulars of the vow certainly apply to Luke Skywalker in both The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. In the trailer for The Last Jedi, ancient Jedi texts were briefly glimpsed. Could these texts have described the Barash Vow? In the aftermath of Ben Solo’s betrayal of Luke and his young Jedi, perhaps the Barash felt like the perfect way for Luke to feel like he was paying some sort of penance.

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Because all the Marvel comics are technically part of the “real” Star Wars canon, the introduction of the Barash Vow doesn’t seem like a coincidence. Not to mention, the series has already broken new ground by specifically focusing on Vader’s need to find a worthy opponent and steal their lightsaber.

Without spoiling anything in the issue, it seems like Vader is getting closer to finding the perfect candidate to do just that. And when he does find this silently meditating Jedi, it may be the precursor for what Luke Skywalker decides to do over 30 years later.